All posts tagged tradition

Kriss Proctor was the primary runner for Navy, and he was the quarterback. Most of the ground action looked pretty neat in Nike Pro Combat uniforms. Photo by Getty Images

Let me first say I love the Army-Navy game, absolutely love it. Call me old-fashioned, but to me, there’s something special about all the cadets and midshipmen entering the stadium in formation and the president switching sides of the field at halftime.

The game is simple, it’s what college football used to be, and to me, that is very cool. The triple option is the only play run and while both teams are not playing for a BCS game, their fans (and the players) are truly emotionally invested in the outcome.

Now, this season the game was given a little extra boost when the teams ran out of the tunnel. The uniforms were different than the usual.

The best part of these uniforms came in the details. And we’ll start with Navy, who made the biggest splash.

The Midshipmen usually have a simple look of blue with gold pants and a simple gold helmet. They have changed up the look in recent years for the Army game, but nothing like the drastic change they made to the helmet this year.

Navy came out with a white helmet featuring the Navy logo in gold. There was also a thick stripe down the center of the helmet, giving it that signature Pro Combat look.

It was a little stunning to see Navy come out looking slightly different than usual, but it was definitely something I got used to as the game progressed. The logo was neat to see prominently displayed, and the tapper at the back of the stripe was kind of neat too.

Perhaps the best feature to this uniform was the one that went unseen by those watching on television. Under the uniforms was a stars-and-stripes shirt with the words, “Don’t Tread on Me” written across the chest. Army also had a similar shirt, but it was far more simple.

Now on to Army’s uniforms. I always liked Army’s uniforms in general. They are simple and the black with gold always is a nice combination. The Black Knights have gone to a camouflage for a recent Army-Navy game, and frankly, that just seemed a little strange for a football game.

For Saturday’s game, I really like the font for the numbers on Army’s uniforms. The thick black stripe on the matte-finish gold helmet was cool to see.

The best part of the uniform was the shoes. Army was sporting these gold shoes that went very well with the gold pants they had. Here’s a closer look at everything the Black Knights chose yesterday.

The Army-Navy game always has just the right pageantry for a college football game, and in this case, the uniforms struck just the right chord to match the game.

Here is another guest appearance on the blog from Oklahoma State grad Alex. It is also our first venture into the icy world of hockey.

The Winnipeg Jets acted a bit like Martin Brodeur here by bucking tradition with their new uniform scheme.

The most interesting people you meet at a party are usually the ones who look forward, take risks, and seek new opportunities. It seems as if the desire to remain stagnant, or to simply ape the latest trends, is almost unnatural to these people. Such is a quality that is valued because it equates to spontaneity and intrigue. Perhaps the most appealing attribute is ability surprise people, to act in a way that is unexpected and to forge one’s own path.

But then there are times when it is important to embrace tradition. After all, any new idea, any new trend, or any fresh perspective is in some way rooted in tradition. And then there are times when tradition ought, nay I say must, be embraced. Such is the case with the artists formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers now know as the (new) Winnipeg Jets, and their new and unimaginative logo.

The new Winnipeg Jets have bucked tradition to look like a completely different team than its earlier incarceration. Photo by Getty Images

Before we delve into the Jets new logo, let us delve into a short history lesson. Winnipeg doesn’t have much going for it. It’s situated in the middle of Manitoba, it snows more often than it does not, and according to Environment Canada, is the coldest place in the world with a population over 600,000. It’s a Canadian city whose football team, the Blue Bombers, with their 10 CFL championships, have had far more success than any other of the city’s professional franchises.

The Jets were born in 1972 in the now-defunct WHA, before they were absorbed into the NHL in 1979. From 1972-1996, they sported this campy yet classic logo. In 1996, citing serious financial issues, the team, for reason, moved to Phoenix, Arizona, a seemingly perfect place for a sport played on ice. They became the Phoenix Coyotes, and sported this space coyote logo. I don’t think space coyote’s exist (unless you’re Homer Simpson), and if they did, they probably wouldn’t play hockey.

The old Winnipeg Jets went with a distinctly 80s/90s look, but the tradition has not been kept up this season.

So, for 15 years, Winnipeg was left without a team, until the NHL realized (for the second time) that hockey does not belong in Atlanta and allowed a group based in Winnipeg to buy the Thrashers and move them back to Winnipeg. After a 15 year hiatus from hockey, one would think that the city would want to again embrace their tradition, and reintroduce that logo with the hockey stick serving as the “J” in Jets and the “I” in Winnipeg.

But instead, the team went with a new logo. According to a press release put out by the organization, they wanted to distance themselves from the old Jets with a new logo. Fair enough. But, according to the folks at thepuckdoctors.com, the logo was based off the logo the Royal Canadian Air Force used from 1946-1965. So, in other words, in order to create a new identity, the new Winnipeg Jets had to plagiarize their logo? And why the insistence of tearing down the past? The Capitals have had great success since going from this back to this. The New York Giants had an extended flirtation with this logo before returning to their roots and what is arguably the best uniform in the NFL.

There are times when change is a good thing, and the past should stay in the past. But sometimes, it’s good to let history repeat itself.